The present invention relates to food processing and, more particularly, to a plate for use on the outlet end of a food grinder and a method of preparing a food product utilizing a food grinder with the plate thereon.
Food grinders, particularly meat grinders, are well known in the food preparation art and are used for the preparation of a variety of foods, particularly ground meat products such as ground beef, which may be used in the preparation of traditional dishes such as hamburgers, meatloaf, or the like. FIG. 1 is illustrative of a portion of a typical prior art rotary meat grinder 10 of the horizontal type used for the preparation of ground meat. The meat grinder 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a generally cylindrical, generally horizontal casing or housing 12 within which is contained a rotatable meat-impelling auger 14. A knife 16 is secured to the leading end of the auger 14 and is positioned proximate the outlet end 18 of the housing 12. Covering the outlet end 18 of the housing 12 is a removable, generally circular outlet plate 20. The outlet plate 20 includes a plurality of spaced apart generally circular openings 22 (FIG. 2) extending completely therethrough and a generally outwardly extending hub portion 24. A generally tubular conduit 26 is secured around the hub portion and a generally cylindrical bore or passageway 28 extends through the center of the outlet plate 20. A suitable threaded ring 30 having an inwardly extending lip 32 is threadingly secured with the outer edge of the housing 12 proximate the outlet end 18 for holding the outlet plate 20 in place against an annular shoulder 34 within the housing 12. The outlet plate 20 includes a counterbore 36 on the interior surface to aid in the collection and removal of bone fragments, gristle, and other inedible components.
In operation of the meat grinder 10, meat, such as beef, veal, lamb, poultry, fowl, fish and other seafood, or the like, and/or other food products such as seasoning, fillers, vegetables, or the like, are installed into the grinder 10 through a suitable inlet hopper (not shown). Rotation of the auger 14 either manually or by way of a suitably coupled motor or other such drive device (not shown) results in the meat and/or other food products moving from the inlet toward the outlet end 18 of the housing 12. As the meat and other food products flow along the housing, they reach the rotating knife 16 which cuts the meat and/or other food products. The pressure of the meat and/or other food products moving toward the outlet end 18 by the rotation of the auger 14 in combination with the cutting action of the knife 16 results in the cut meat and/or other food products being extruded through the openings 22 extending through the outlet plate 20. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the extruded meat and/or other food products forms a series of generally continuous string-like sections which are collected and used as ground meat and/or other food products. The action of the auger 14 and the knife 16 results in small pieces of bone, gristle, or the like, being removed from the meat. The bone, gristle, and the like, are separated from the meat and flow toward the axial center of the housing 12 and into the counterbore 36 of the outlet plate 20 where they pass through the cylindrical opening 28 in the plate 20 and into the conduit 26 for appropriate disposal. Further details concerning the structure and operation of a typical prior art meat grinder may be obtained by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,647,196; 4,699,325; and 5,251,829, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention constitutes an improvement to existing food grinders and, in particular, to existing meat grinders. The present invention comprises an outlet plate which is used as a replacement for the existing outlet plate 20 on a conventional food grinder. The outlet plate of the present invention, instead of having a plurality of generally circular, generally equally spaced openings extending therethrough, includes a plurality of slot-like openings extending therethrough. The slot-like openings may be elongated and generally parallel to each other, generally arcuate and concentric, or of some other shape and/or positioned in some other manner. The use of an outlet plate having slot-like openings results in the creation of generally elongated slice-like sheets of meat, seafood, or other food being extruded from the meat or food grinder. The size and shape of the meat, seafood, or food sheets depends upon the size and shape of the slot-like openings extending through the outlet plate. The sheet-like meat or food products resulting from the use of an outlet plate in accordance with the present invention are particularly well suited for use in the preparation of a restructured meat product.